By Katie McElvy
The Chambers Academy JV Boys Basketball Team played as the number three seed in the AA JV State Invitational Tournament over the weekend. Nine teams were invited to participate. In the first game, Chambers faced the #2 Patrician JV Saints. Hunter Andrews kicked things off with a pair of free throws to put CA on the board, but a Patrician buzzer beater left the JV Rebels trailing 5-6 at the end of the first quarter.
The Rebels went on a hot streak in the second quarter while holding the JV Saints to a single basket and took the lead 17-8 going into half time. Patrician fought back in the third cutting Chambers’ lead to 25-21, but Drew Sheppard controlled the boards in the fourth both scoring and getting rebounds to give the JV Rebels the 31-26 win to advance to the championship game.
In the championship game, the JV Rebels faced area foe, the Abbeville Christian JV Generals. Chambers split the regular season series with the JV Generals. The game started slow for the Rebels as Abbeville jumped out to a 0-10 lead, but a couple of Rebel baskets toward the end of the first made the score 4-10. After a Jake Reames three pointer and back-to-back Sheppard baskets, Grey Hayley tied it up at the line hitting both free throws. The score looked to be tied at 19 all going into halftime, but Patrician was able to hit a once in a lifetime buzzer beater from well across half court to put the JV Rebels down 19-22.
The Rebels once again started slow in the third allowing Abbeville to establish a 25-34 lead going into the last period of play. Abbeville led by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter, but Chambers continued to chip away battling within three of the JV Generals. Unfortunately, time ran out before the JV Rebels could grab the lead, and they fell 36-39 to take second place in the state.